Conveyer.



I', w. BURPBB. CONVEYEB.' l APPLICATION FILED IALN. 21,1914.

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FRANK W. BURPEE, 'OF BELL'I'NGHAM, WASHINGTON.

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Specification 'of Lettersatent. Pafgmgdl Sigp-,n 15, jlgtpjtgl,

Application filed January 21, 1914. Serial No. 813,494.

To all lwhom. it may concern Be it known that I, FRANK W. BURPEE, a citizen of the Dominion of Canada, residing at Bellingham, in the county of 'Vhatcom and State of lWashington, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in.

Conveyers, of which the following is a specification. i

My invention relates to improvements in mechanical conveyors within which are embodied sprocket chains and the object of my improvement is to provide a conveyor ofv this class wherein a sprocket chain is disposed" dise; anda further object of my improvement is to adapt the carrier plates, so attached to the links of such a conveyer chain,

' to permit such conveyor rcha-in to travel smoothly when reversing the directionl of its movement by turning around a sprocket.

wheel of 'a small diameter notwithstanding 'its association with said carrier plates, such cha-1n vand plates belng provlded. with means,

for guiding thcm'in their movements and protecting them from accidental contact with obgects that vmight otherwise get in theirpath. I accomplish'these objects by bodying lmy invention as it may appear chain links, with a carrier plate attached.

devices villustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein- Figure 1 is-a vplan view ofra conveyer emwhenemploye'd in connection with an' exhaust box similar to those that are used'in the operation of canning food products, as fish, fruit, `vegetables and the like; Fig. 2 is a view in vertical sectiony of a'portion of the same on broken line .fr of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is a view inperspective of one of the thereto, which is embodied in my invention. Like reference numerals indicate like parts throughout the drawings.

I have illustrated a conveyor embodying my invention as employed in connection with an exhaust box similar to the exhaustv boxes used by canneries in the operation of canning ,food products.

Referring to the drawlngs, is the frame l of an exhaust' box through which exhaust box may travel a conveyer which comprises a plurality of sprocket chain links 7, hooked together in a well known manner to form a spr'ccketchain, one of which links 7. is

more clearly shown inFig. 3,' and each of which links 7 is provided on its uppermost edge, and integral therewith, with a fla-nge- Mlike plate-seat 8 which is disposed to extend f crosswise ot such edge 1n a horizontal plane f and upon which platelseat 8 is securely attached a diamond shaped carrier-plate 9,

with `its plane in a horizontal position and at right angles with the plane of the link 'l' to adapt it to serve coniointly withadpicent carrierplates 9 to receive and carry in its tra-vel, objects, like thelcans 10 of food lprodl ucts. that may be vplaced thereon, as shown in Figs. 1`a-nd 2. The convever chain thus formed of the 'connected linksr, with their several carrier-plates 9 attached thereto, to make an endless sprocketmhain belt which is disposed to ext-end successively from one to another of different silurockeel wheels 11,j to engage 'with andv to be sup- 'ported by the .teeth thereof, which sprocket Wheels r1- 1are disposed each'with its vertical axis inline with aditferent one of the points4 12, 13, 14, '15vjand"16,as indicatedin 1.A

The sprocketwheel's, whose axes' are respectively locatedfat "points l2 and. 14 of Fig. -13 fare`notishoivn. inFig. 1,*but the sprocket wheel v11,shown in Fig. 2, is iden- .tical with the sprocket wheel whose axis is located atthe point '141ofFi'gz 1.

Referring to Fig. 2, a worm gearwheel 17 is fixed upon the shaft upon which the."`

sprocket wheel 11 is mounted and such worm gearwheel 17v engages witha worm-screw pinion 1S that is xed on a vshaft 19 that Vis supported by a bearing bracket 20, upon which shaft- 19 is mounted a pulley 421which is connected with a motor 23 by a belt 22 whereby motion may bei communicated `through the sprocket vwheel 11 whose axis is' in a line of the point 14 of Fig. 1, to cause such conveyer totravel in the direction of thai-arrows in, Fig. 1,*whereby when objectslike cans 10, of fruit products, are movedfrom a table 24, whose surface registers with the top surface of the carrier-plates 9`on to said carrier plates. 9, the conveyer in its a travel will convey such cans 10 from such table 24, inthe direction of the arrows, t0 enter the vexhaust Vboxat the entrance point "the point ll, thence to be carried in a reverse direction to turn around the point 12 Where their direction is again j reversed to make their exit from the exhaust box through exit 26, and upon such exit-suchvcans 10 Will engage with a deflecting guide 27 Which Will guide such cans l olf the carrier-plates 9 on to the surface of a receiving table 33. 'Thus obj ects like lcans l0 may be fed from the table 24 on to the carrier-plates 9 of the conveyer. and conveyed through Vthe exhaust box at any desired rate of speed and be deposited upon the receiving table 33. Thus, in a Well known manner, such cansy 10, by their passage through the exhaust boxA are subjected to the heat therein whereby any air contained in them ivill b e expanded and forced out of a minute-vent `hole commonly provided in the top of each of them Which vent holes may be immediately sealed With solder upon reaching the table 33.

. l To confine the cans in their position on the carrier-plates 9 I have provided side guides 28 and such side guides 28 are provided witli a groove'29 disposed opposite the pointed portions of tllie carrier-plates 9 Within which grooves 29 such pointed portions of said carrier-plates 9 project to travel therein and thus be prevented from catching or engaging with anything.

To guide and support the sprocketr'zhain4 of connected links -7 in its travel between adjacent sprocket Wheels 1l, I` have provided angular bars disposed parallel with each L other, one oii each side ofthe sprocket chain,

uhichangular bars `30 are secured to the floor 32 of the exhaust 'box7 as shoWn in Fig.

2, the top edge surface of such angular bars 8O serving as a support for the plate-seat` 8 of each of the links 7, the under'surfaces of said plate-sea`ts 8 being disposed to engage .with and slidingly travel on 1said top/edge surfaces of said angular bars 30,*and such angular bars 30 as are disposed Without the exhaust box are secured to base-plates 31 to be supported thereby. 'By such construction the sprocket chain, even'if it be slack on the sprocket wheels 1l, is prevented fromsagging in any portion of the distance between adjacent ones of said sprocket Wheels 11 by means of saidaiigular bars 30.

The edges of the top surface of each of the carrier-plates 9 may be rounded orithey may be beveled as shown in Figs. 2 and 3,. Wherehy a can 10 may smoothly slide on, and 01T the 'top surface of said carrierplates 9.

The novel angular form' of the diamond,

shaped carrier-plates 9 and the position of each of them on the top edge of a link 7 constitute most important features of my i11- vention, since, obviously, by reason of such novel shape of such carrienplates 9, and their positions on the sprocket chain, they may be of large area to adapt them better to receive and carry the cans 10 Without preventing the sprocket chain from making an abrupt turn when said sprocket chain reverses its direction of travel by turning, either to the right or to the left7 around a sprocket Wheel of small diameter.

Of course a sprocket chain conveyer embodying my invention may be employed in connection with devices other than exhaust boxes When it is desired tocarry objects in a path that abruptly reverses its direction by turning rst to the right and then to the left yand my invention may be associated With sprocket chains Whose links are of one of many different Well known forms instead of with, a sprocket chain Whose linksv are like ofivhich the said carrier plates are slidably supported, and' vertically-disposed guide- Ways grooved on their inner sides`to receive the ends of said plates.

2. The combination With the frame of the exhaust box of canning apparatus provided vwith grooved side' guides, of sprocket Wheels mounted upon vertically-disposed axes, a chainbelt engaging said wheels, a series of dianiond`=shaped carrier-plates secured to the upper edge of said belt, and a supporting track-.way comprising oppositely-disposed confronting angle plates upon, the upper` parallel edges of' which the said carrierplates are slidably supported to bring their ends into horizontal alinement. With\ the grooves of said side guides.

It Witness -Wliereof I hereunto subscribe 'my naine this 6th day of January, A. D.,

FRANK W; BURPEE.

vVitnesses:

A. K. DAGGE'rr, C. W. CARTER. 

